In
Ivory Coast, a study of books and educational materials used
in schools, especially for scientific subjects, found that most
materials were bought at a high cost from Europe. This meant
that there was a shortage of learning materials and also that
the materials used were not always the best adapted to the local
curriculum.

In
the last half of the decade of Education for All, the Ministry
of Education decided to try to use local expertise and material
to construct teaching materials. The content of the material
was also revised to take into consideration the national context.

Teachers
trained in materials production

The
Ministry studied the possibility of producing the education
aids locally using recuperated material, such as wood, cardboard,
and plastic which normally cost very little, if anything.

Based
on a comprehensive list of materials commonly used, a sample
of each piece was constructed, using only low cost construction
materials. For example, a cross section of a heart made of wood
was used to illustrate blood flow through arteries. Further,
seminars were held to train teachers to construct the pieces
themselves, and also to conduct training seminars for other
teachers in their district. This method meant that nearly all
schools were trained in the construction of the same models.
Inexpensive cardboard models of each piece were distributed
to each district to serve as a base.

Locally
made materials better used

The
results were highly positive. Using this method the schools
were able to construct the educational materials for less than
$1 US per piece, instead of the thousands of dollars that they
had been paying their European suppliers. The teachers also
felt that their needs were better met in terms of the materials
provided, and that having made the material themselves, they
made better use of them. Based on these positive results, new
models are now being developed using local expertise and resources,
which will be used in a wider range of subjects.